DSWD calls for volunteers to pack food for Mayon evacuees

The Department of Social Welfare and Development is encouraging the public to volunteer in the production of family food packs to ensure adequate supplies for families affected by the renewed activity of Mayon Volcano.

Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD Disaster Response Management Group called on volunteers to help augment manpower at the agency’s Luzon Disaster Resource Center in Pasay City.

“Iniimbitahan natin yung ating mga kababayan natin na i-spend ang parte ng kanilang bagong taon sa pagbo-volunteer sa ginagawa nating disaster response preparations. Malaki ang papel ng mga volunteers sa ating disaster response,” Dumlao said.

“Sa bawat family food pack na nabubuo, may isang pamilya na agad nating natutulungan sa oras ng sakuna,” she added.

The DSWD spokesperson said the call for volunteers forms part of the agency’s proactive response following the raising of Mayon Volcano’s alert status to Alert Level 3. Earlier, the National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau also appealed for additional volunteers to assist in the preparation of family food packs at the Luzon center.

The department has been conducting relief operations, including the distribution of family food packs, ready-to-eat food boxes, and non-food items to residents currently staying in evacuation centers in Albay province.

Dumlao said disaster response operations have been ongoing since Jan. 6, just hours after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised Mayon’s alert level.

“Nagsimula na po ang ating disaster response sa Bicol Region. Noong January 6 po, ilang oras matapos itaas sa alert level 3 status ang bulkang Mayon, ay namahagi na agad ang ating mga Angels in Red Vests from DSWD Field Office 5 ng ready-to-eat food boxes sa mga evacuees sa Tabaco City at Malilipot, Albay,” she said.

The DSWD stressed that public support through volunteerism is critical, as family food packs remain one of the primary lifelines for communities affected by disasters.

Volunteers will assist in the repacking and preparation of family food packs as part of the department’s disaster preparedness measures, Dumlao said.

“Before deployment, there will be an orientation to ensure the safety of volunteers around the repacking center,” she added.

Volunteers may render service from Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Luzon Disaster Resource Center located near the Airport Police and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. Interested individuals may register through the official DSWD volunteer form.

As of 8 January, families evacuated from the six-kilometer danger zone are staying at several evacuation centers, including San Jose Elementary School in Malilipot; Hiraya Manawari Permanent Alternate Houses in Tabaco City; Buang Covered Court in Barangay Purok, Tabaco City; and Baligang Elementary School in Camalig.

The DSWD said that aside from food and non-food items, hot meals are being served through mobile kitchens, while mobile water stations and mobile command centers have been deployed across various towns and barangays in Albay to ensure uninterrupted delivery of essential services.